◆
[Liliana’s POV]
As a result of Father getting beaten up by Kaisar, he was reduced to Kaisar’s slave.
He no longer instills fear in his retainers as he used to, and he no longer imposes excessive taxes on the citizens of the Empire.
And now, following Douglas and Olivia, my father, too, fell victim to Kaisar’s clutches.
“Oh, perfect timing. Liliana!”
Of all times, Father found me and called out to me, giving me an unpleasant premonition.
“W-What is it, Father?”
“There’s no need to be so cautious. It’s something good for you too.”
I want to say that this so-called ‘good thing’ felt awfully ominous, but there was no point in voicing it now.
I restrained myself and listened quietly, thinking I could argue later if my bad premonition were correct.
“What do you mean by ‘good thing’? From my perspective, there have been nothing but unpleasant things happening recently. All thanks to someone here.”
“Don’t put it that way. Looking back now, I was the one at fault. It was thanks to Kaisar-sama I realized my mistake of arrogantly causing trouble in various ways, thinking I was a genius. Not only did he spare my life, but he also made me his slave and continues to give me a chance to atone. Isn’t that something to be grateful for? Instead of considering the past as the worst, you could think that everything since then has been shining brightly.”
From my perspective, what happened until now was the worst possible event, and it was after Kaisar started rampaging that darkness fell upon us.
“That doesn’t matter at all. So, why did you come to talk to me, Father? If you have nothing to discuss, I’d like to leave. I’m not free either, as I have things I need to attend to.”
“Oh, I apologize.”
If he truly felt sorry, I wish he disappeared from my sight and refrained from speaking to me.
In the end, whether it’s Douglas, Olivia, or even my father, they are all nothing but trash who lost to Kaisar and are being used by him.
Just the fact that such trash dares to speak to me infuriates me.
Moreover, my father, nothing but a disgrace to the imperial family, is even more intolerable.
“So, the reason I stopped you, Liliana, is about the engagement with Kaisar-sama.”
“Ha…!? Engagement!? You mean Kaisar and I!? Wasn’t our engagement already annulled!?”
His words took me completely by surprise, and I instinctively asked for clarification.